Overload Flux (Central Galactic Concordance Book 1) by Carol Van Natta #spaceopera #scifirom

Title: Overload Flux (Central Concordance Book 1)
Author: Carol Van Natta
Genre: Space Opera/Scifi Romance
Publisher: Chavanch Press
Available: Kobo, B&N, Amazon (272 pages $3.99)
Rating: 4*
Rater: Pippa




Blurb:
Brilliant investigator Luka Foxe must act fast if he's going to save the civilized planets of the Central Galactic Concordance. For as a pandemic sweeps across the galaxy, someone is stealing the vaccine. To make matters worse, Luka's hidden mental talents are out of control, leaving him barely able to function in the midst of violence and a rising body count. The convoluted trail leads to a corrupt pharma industry and the possibility of an illegal, planet-sized laboratory. In the face of increasing threats, he must rely on an enigmatic, lethal woman who has secrets of her own.

Mairwen Morganthur hides extraordinary skills under the guise of a dull night-shift guard. The last thing she wants is to provide personal security for a nova-hot investigator, or to be plunged into a murky case involving sabotage, treachery, and the military covert operations division that would love to discover she's still alive. Worse, she knows that two more deaths won't bother their enemies one bit. Their only hope for survival is to share their darkest secrets. With everything in their universe at stake, can they learn to trust one another?

What I liked:
I liked that the protagonists were older, almost my age, though that isn't clear until quite late in the book. I grew fond of both characters though connected with Mairwen more with her social awkwardness softening her mostly hard ass female persona. I also liked the slow burn romance, which was sweet rather than adding to the tension, plus I'm a huge fan of stories with psychic/superhuman talents. The setting was detailed and interesting enough to hold my attention without being overwhelming.

What I didn't like:
I'm not a fan of criminal investigation/thriller style stories, and this dragged the pace of the story right down for me, with not quite enough action to compensate. The two chapters featuring Hildree especially didn't seem to add to the narrative, since we later get her 'perspective' via Foxe/Zheer (unless she's going to feature later on in the series) so I'd happily have skipped them. There's also way too much introspection/inner monologues, which again slow the story down.

In conclusion:

If you like CSI style space opera and a sweet, slow burn romance with an older couple, this is for you. If you prefer action, it's there but not quite the amount that would have scored that fifth star from me. However, I found the main couple adorable and their special talents interesting. I definitely want to continue with reading this series.

Disclaimer: All information correct at time of posting. Book purchased by the reviewer from a legitimate retail site for their own personal enjoyment.

Hidden In Ashes (A'yen's Legacy #5) by Rachel Leigh Smith #futuristic #romance

Title: Hidden in Ashes (A'yen's Legacy Book 5)
Author: Rachel Leigh Smith
Genre: Futuristic Romance
Publisher: Rachel L. Smith
Available: Kobo, B&N, Amazon (535 pages $4.99)
Rating: 4*
Rater: Pippa




Blurb:
Childhood enmity turns to love, with one problem: his heart isn't his to give.

Lorin is a daro, a Lokmane man trained to make humans feel special and valued. As Prime of Arkos House, no one stands between him and the safety of the daros under his care—except his mistress. The dead one, and the new one. He needs to focus on the Essence crisis infiltrating the Houses, and his sister's safety. Not figure out how to balance his duties with falling in love.

When her mother dies, emotionally wounded Sagira Memeos becomes the Marcasian Empire’s newest High Lady. And reluctant owner of the most sought after daro in said empire. He’s her childhood nemesis, and way too sexy for his own good. With his kindness finding its way into her bruised soul, asking for his help to navigate her succession to ruling high lady probably isn't her brightest idea.

Lorin wants Sagira. But not if he has to pay for it with innocent lives. She’s a distraction he can't afford while the bedrock of Marcasian high society is under attack. Not to mention facing losing his sister to the man who wounded Sagira. If the daro houses fall, all hope of freedom goes with them.

What I liked:
As always, Smith delivers a well written and emotional twister of a tale with a rich and culturally diverse background that builds on her universe. And while the longest book of the series so far, I didn't feel that the overall story dragged or got tedious.

What I didn't like:
This just didn't grab me or give me the intense emotional impact of the other books. I think the tension and threats to the characters could all have been cranked up a notch throughout and/or the resolution of their feelings not come quite so soon. Though its length didn't make it drag, it did feel repetitive in places and the ending felt incomplete (though the author notes their story will continue in the next book). And while I personally have nothing against tattoos and piercings, having both, the constant references to Lorin's tongue studs made me feel icky all the way through.

In conclusion:
A worthy tale to add to A'yen's Legacy series but I'm glad I waited for the next book to be out before reading this one so I don't have to wait for a full conclusion of Lorin and Sunny's story. Not to be missed if you enjoyed the previous four books though I don't think this can stand alone without reading the others to understand the full background to the plotline.

Disclaimer: All information correct at time of posting. Book purchased by the reviewer from a legitimate retail site for their own personal enjoyment.

Promise The Stars (Corwint Central Agent Files Book 5) by CE Kilgore #scifi #romance

Title: Promise the Stars (Corwint Central Agent Files Book 5)
Author: CE Kilgore
Genre: SciFi Romance
Publisher: Tracing the Stars
Available: Kobo, B&N, iBooks, Amazon (197 pages $0.99)
Rating: 5 stars
Rater: Pippa

Blurb:

To you, my dearest child, I promise the stars…

Nikki’s been to the deepest pit of darkness in the universe and lived to tell about it, barely. But, to move forward with her life, she must first go back to Thetos – where a buried secret and her father’s promise await her return. Despite her independent, defensive nature, she lets Brom into her world and under her skin bit by bit. With her Trexen biology clawing its way into fruition, including unwanted side effects like mind-reading and a deadly temper, she struggles to see herself as worthy of her father’s intellectual legacy. The more she reveals to Brom, the faster she expects him to leave. She quickly learns Orellians don’t give up so easily, and Brom’s as stubborn as they come.

But someone’s been waiting for Nikki’s return and the secret she guards. Its discovery could mean a chance at peace, or lead to all out war. In the wrong hands, even the best intentions can lead to catastrophe, and a promise can decay into regret.

What I liked:
A wounded but feisty won't-stop-for-nothing heroine in search of information that can change the universe, and a steady, strong and sensitive hero prepared to do anything to keep her safe and win her broken heart on her terms. Add to that a colourful cast of secondary characters, action, adventure, tension both plotwise and sexual, all set against a fully fledged scifi setting, and it gets an unreserved 5 star rating from me! 
What I didn't like:
Zero. Zip. Zilch. This was perfect!

In conclusion:
Space opera fans who don't mind a few well written sex scenes in their scifi will love this. For anyone who likes ST, Firefly and Farscape, and/or even just a damn good adventure story with snogging.

Disclaimer: All information correct at time of posting. Book was purchased by the reviewer from a legitimate retail site for their own personal enjoyment.